Kirtland seniors Mike Cymbal, left, and Sam Kukura unveil three signs which tell of the success of the football team in the last three years.

A worried Matt Paul gazed at three shrouded signs on a wall in Kirtland’s gymnasium Wednesday afternoon.
Later in the evening, the covers would be pulled down to unveil signs commemorating three years of excellence in the Kirtland football program, and the school’s athletic director was concerned the unveiling might not go as planned unless he uncovered a portion of the signs prior to the ceremony.
Senior Sam Kukura relented.
“Mr. Paul, we’ll take care of it,” the first-team All-Ohio running back insisted. “We want it to be a ‘wow’ factor.”
“Wow factors” have been the norm for the town of Kirtland the past three years, thanks to its football team. The Hornets are 44-1 over that span, including 15-0 state championship seasons in 2011 and 2013 and a near-miss at perfection in 2012 when Coach Tiger LaVerde’s team finished 14-1 and lost, 10-9, in the Division V state championship game.
The Hornets, their families and their faithful followers celebrated that three-year run on Wednesday when the trio of commemorative signs were unveiled prior to Kirtland’s boys basketball game against visiting Lutheran East.
“It’s fun for the kids to look up and see what they’ve accomplished,” LaVerde said. “They’re going to be able to see it every day in gym (class) and at lunch. It’s exciting for them.”
While team members and coaches stood en masse at the far end of the gymnasium, dignitaries such as Kirtland Councilman Timothy K. Powell, judge Mark Bartolotta (standing in for U.S. Rep. David Joyce) and Kirtland Kiwanis representative Stan Krulc took turns offering proclamations and road signs to honor what the Hornets had accomplished.
All the while, LaVerde stood with his hands on his son’s shoulders, his eyes scanning the massive, appreciative crowd, many of whom hadn’t been to a basketball game this year, but came to this one for the special occasion.
Wow, indeed.
As Paul counted down from five, eyes turned to the shrouded signs. When the countdown reached zero, Kukura and fellow senior captain Mike Cymbal tugged at the covers and they fell to the floor.
People stood and clapped. Some whistled. Many shouted their approval, and some pointed with their mouths open wide.
Wow, indeed.
“It was an incredible honor,” Kukura said of his role in the unveiling. “For (me and Cymbal) to pull it down as captains is truly incredible.”
Each of the team members were admitted to the game for free on this special night. Even though they didn’t need to do it — everyone in the cozy town nestled just south of Interstate-90 knows the hometown players by sight — players smiled and flashed the glimmering championship rings to the ticket-taker as they entered the building.
“I gave everything I had for this ring,” junior Adam Hess said.
And he wasn’t talking about the $200 each player dolled out for their postseason bling.
Wow, indeed.
But this night wasn’t just for the football program. It was also for the school and the community, many of whom flocked to Rogers Field every Friday night this past fall for home games or even made the long road trips clear through a playoff run that ended in Fawcett Stadium in Canton.
“Kirtland is a great city,” Cymbal said. “I can’t imagine growing up anywhere else. ... I can’t wait to come back here as an older guy and see (the signs) up there.”
“Absolutely,” Kukura said in agreement with the Hornets’ All-Ohio lineman. “I want my kids to come to Kirtland. The experience I’ve had here are unmatchable. I grew up here, my dad coached here... I definitely want my kids to be Kirtland Hornets, too.”
As the ensuing game progressed and the basketball Hornets, most of whom came straight off the gridiron to basketball practice in December, put a 68-30 throttling on Lutheran East, a group of sixth-graders sat in the bleachers in the corner of the gymnasium.
Like many kids that age, their eyes from time to time darted down to the phones in their hands. And every now and again, one would give another an elbow just for the fun of it.
LaVerde smiled when noticing the youngsters in attendance, for they are the Hornets of the future. Kukura said he hopes those young players set a high bar of achievement much like he and his teammates did when they were that age.
“They can look up and see what (the current players) accomplished,” LaVerde said, “and hopefully they’ll want to get one of those banners for themselves.”
And give another “Wow Factor” or two to a proud town that has been rich in such moments over the past few years.